Side Guards

City Council moves forward with side guard ordinance

July 26, 2017 by Jay Stefani Leave a Comment

Money talks. And it talks loudly. Yesterday’s agreement put forth by the City Council Budget Committee to pump $5 million into retrofitting all city-owned and city-contracted trucks with protective side guards is yet another encouraging sign that the city is taking safety seriously. And it’s about to get even more serious.

Later today, the entire City Council is expected to take up a full vote, which, if passed, would mark another progressive step toward the city’s Vision Zero plan that aims to eliminate all traffic-related deaths by the year 2026. Side guards are a great step to achieving that goal, if only because they one of the few proven solutions to preventing serious injuries and deaths from occurring at the hands of large trucks.

We wrote about the beginnings of the side guard mandate a couple weeks ago. Back then, it was simply introduced to the Budget Committee and expected to pass as a matter of formality. But now that the vote is taking place, there’s a sense of optimism knowing that a full-fledged legislative commitment is finally taking shape.

These are the types of laws that are both beneficial in the short-term and the long-term, both for pedestrians and for operators of large trucks. We can’t say it enough: side guards are practical and effective. And for a major city like Chicago, they are necessary.

Regarding yesterday’s budget approval, the Sun-Times pointed out that the Budget Committee moved forward after Transportation Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld recounted a 2015 crash that killed a mother and her two young children. In that situation, a truck was making a left-hand turn when the mother and her kids were swept underneath the truck’s back tires, a truly horrific scenario. But perhaps worse than the outcome itself is the fact that the crash was, in theory, preventable.

There’s certainly room for improvements when it comes to side guards and especially for their perceived added cost, which has been a sore point for trucking businesses and even local government. But with today’s vote, there can be no denying that the point of all this isn’t about the money—it’s about protecting people each day.

Chicago takes first step toward mandatory side guards

July 10, 2017 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

City-owned trucks are on the verge of a safety-centric makeover

The long road to safety involves many twists and turns but Chicago is finally heading in the right direction.

Late last month, as part of the newly unveiled Vision Zero initiative, the mayor’s office and the Chicago Department of Transportation introduced a proposed ordinance that would require contractors to install protective safety equipment on large trucks, including side guards and convex mirrors.

“Chicago is using a data-driven approach to improve traffic safety, and the data shows we can save lives and prevent serious injuries by installing this type of safety equipment,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a press release. “I applaud private sector fleet managers who have already taken steps to enhance the safety of their truck fleets.”

By January 1, 2018, all contractors will be required to implement the proposed safety equipment with full compliance becoming mandatory by January 1, 2021. The ordinance would impact new contracts over $2 million related to construction, job order contracts, and non-construction projects that involve the use of large vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds.

If you follow our blog, we’ve written extensively about the need for Chicago to follow suit with other major cities like New York, Boston, and Seattle, all of which require city-owned fleets to be outfitted with side guards. The release provided by the city noted that the 33 pedestrian and cyclist fatalities involving large trucks have occurred since 2010. And of all bike and pedestrian crashes since 2010, those that involved a large truck proved to be three times more likely to be fatal.

By integrating side guards, Chicago is making a significant investment on pedestrian and cycling safety. In a recent post, we re-hashed a video produced by the TK in which they compared the force of impact between a car and truck outfitted with side guards, and one without. The video clearly shows that side guards prevent potentially gruesome and fatal crashes from occurring. It’s hard to argue against them.

Some reminders about side guards:

Side guards are proven to reduce injuries and death: The U.K. began requiring side guards on most new trucks beginning in 1986. Since then, the fatality rate for turning-truck crash rates dipped by 20 percent for pedestrians and 61 percent for cyclists.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommended that side guards be fitted on large trucks in 2013, though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to approve a requirement to make them mandatory.
Like the U.K., many European cities, as well as countries like Canada, have adopted and/or implemented safety measures on large trucks that go well beyond the standards we’ve established here in the U.S. A national proposal by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently flirted with the idea of replacing a 20-year-old standard for side guards with a 10-year-old Canadian standard, meaning that the U.S., despite the warnings, is still catching up with the rest of the world.
Chicago’s Vision Zero plan aims to eliminate all traffic-related fatalities by the year 2026. It’s a data-driven plan, meaning proposals and recommendations are based on analytical evidence; the evidence here is that side guards are one of the most cost-effective preventative safety measures we can accomplish in the short term.

Chicago, consider the FORS model

May 23, 2017 by Jay Stefani Leave a Comment

Is an accreditation system the answer to the city’s side guard problem?

With historically high levels of gun violence and the ostensibly insurmountable pension debacle, the city of Chicago hasn’t had much to brag about over the last couple years, but this past fall Bicycling magazine decided to throw us a bone.

In September Chicago was selected as the most bike-friendly city in the country, placing ahead of stalwart contenders like New York, Boston, and San Francisco. The article cited a growing infrastructure: more designated bike lanes, improved roads, and the promotion of the city’s ride-share program known as Divvy.

But shortly after Bicycling ranked us number one, the city saw an alarming climb in the number of bike-related fatalities at the hands of large trucks. Also a several months ago: a woman was riding downtown when she was abruptly pulled under a large truck, leaving her broken body in its wake. The crash prompted a response from Chicago Reader reporter and Streetsblog editor John Greenfield, who chronicled a series of crashes in and around traffic-heavy areas that resulted in the untimely deaths of four young cyclists.

Greenfield happened to write about one issue I deal with extensively as a member of the Trucking Litigation Group’s Side Underride Guard Task Force: the implementation of protective side guards—long metal rods or panels that prevent riders and pedestrians from falling prey to deadly “right-hook” turns—and how Chicago’s City Council might respond.

The response so far? Tame, at best.

There were encouraging signs that might change. In 2016, Chicago announced it would participate in Vison Zero, the transportation safety initiative developed in Sweden in 1994, which, for Chicago’s purposes, hopes to eliminate all traffic-related fatalities by the year 2026. Chicago enacted a pilot program to test the effectiveness of side guards on city-owned trucks, yet its commitment remains tepid. The best the city has come up with, according Streetsblog, is a statement promising to work with “private industry to create recommendations for safety equipment, such as convex mirrors and truck side guards,” in order to prevent tragedies from happening in the future. Meanwhile, proactive cities like New York and Boston have enacted legislation mandating side guards for all city-contracted trucks.

For a major city with a large population of cyclists, the promise of tomorrow seems inadequate for the problems we face today.

Why so complicated?

Relatively speaking, side guards are not cheap. Installing side guards could cost a trucking company upwards of $1,000-$2,000, and, sadly, many fleets view paying out for speculative lawsuits as the cheaper gamble. And in case you haven’t heard, the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago are still dancing around a budget catastrophe, so an expenditure like mandatory side guards on city-owned fleets is bound to be scrutinized. We may, however, look to Europe for one example of an incentive program that might encourage legislators, drivers, and businesses to do more when it comes to things like side guards.

The FORS factor

Around 2008, the Transport for London took an interest in the number of cycling and pedestrian deaths associated with large trucks and decided that something needed to change. That led to a voluntary system called FORS (Fleet Operation Recognition Scheme), a European Union-wide accreditation program that promotes industry-wide best practices and, more importantly, provides incentives for companies that choose safety over convenience. For every best-practice, including the implementation of side guards, participants earn a set of ranks, and much like the LEED accreditation in the United States, the FORS badge stands out as a symbol of commitment and integrity.

“A major reason for the scheme’s successful uptake in London has undoubtedly been client driven, with businesses now using FORS in contracts with their supply chain,” according to a FORS information page. “A growing number of companies require fleet operators to demonstrate a commitment to sustainable fleet activities in order to tender for work with them.”

The stats from FORS are noteworthy. In 2015, FORS-designated Silver and Gold companies reduced total collision by 17 percent and minor injury collisions by 34.5 percent over 2014, according to statistics published by the group. More than 50 percent of FORS-accredited drivers are less likely to be involved in driving offenses related to hours of service. On top of it, trucking companies like D&P Hauling and ESG continue to publicize FORS accreditation updates and upgrades, much like a company like Amazon touts best-selling books on its website. When you consider that any good business partly relies on its reputation, FORS seems like a good option, even for skeptics.

In my home state, the Illinois Department of Transportation already anticipates that over the next year traffic deaths will rise to its highest levels since 2014, a consequence of more drivers on the road, more distractions, and less spending on crash prevention.

A significant percentage of those fatalities are likely to be commercial vehicle-related crashes, and in those cases, the legal implications far exceed any amount that it might cost for something as practical as side guards. It seems logical to reward those people and companies—whether it’s an accreditation badge or some kind of recognition—who take the matter seriously.

WATCH: IIHS video shows devastating effects of side underride crashes

May 16, 2017 by Jay Stefani Leave a Comment

A new study advocates for a federal mandate

We’re starting to sound like a broken record. Side underride crashes are devastatingly gruesome, and the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety is showing us why.

Evaluating side guards for the first time, the IIHS rolled out new video showing two types of crashes—one in which the truck is outfitted with a protective side underride guard, the other without. The results are dramatically different.

The footage shows two 35-mph crash tests involving a 53-foot long-dry van trailer and a standard mid-size car. The first test features a typical fiberglass side skirt intended only to improve the aerodynamics of the truck. The second test focuses exclusively on the AngelWing side underride protection device designed by Airflow Deflector, Inc.

As the video makes clear, the fiberglass side skirt does nothing to prevent the car from sliding under the truck, which in turn severs the sedan’s roof and shatters the windshield. The skirt may save the truck company some money on fuel, but it’s worthless from a safety standpoint.

By contrast, the AngelWing side guard absorbs the impact of the oncoming car and prevents it from sliding under the truck. Also important to note: the side guard allows the car to deploy its airbags while keeping the seat belt harnesses intact. Not only does it stop the car from riding under the trailer, but it also triggers the car’s own safety features.

Both crashes are severe but the difference is striking. The first test sees the sedan run into the trailer and keep going, wedging it beneath the trailer. “In a real-world crash like this,” according to the IIHS study, “any occupants in the car would likely sustain fatal injuries.”

Partner Jay Stefani talks with the Chicago Reader

October 3, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Jay_End-Distracted-Driving — Partner Jay Stefani

Recent crash deaths have shaken the city’s cycling community to the core, and it may be time for lawmakers to start prioritizing ways to protect them, according to experts like our own Jay Stefani.

As reported by the Chicago Reader, four cyclists have recently been killed in incidents related to “right-hook” crashes that involve large trucks.

“The truck blocks your path, you’re stuck, and you fall under the massive vehicle. The rear wheels roll over your body, causing severe, likely fatal, injuries,” writes reporter John Greenfield, also editor at Streetsblog Chicago.

That sums up a nightmare scenario that has become increasingly problematic in big cities like Chicago, whose residents rely on bikes as a primary mode of transportation. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as Jay pointed out to Greenfield, specifically with regard to protective side guards—features installed on the sides of trucks that could potentially prevent these kinds of fatalities from happening at all.

From the article: “What makes the truck right-turn incidents all the more tragic is the refusal of lawmakers to require side guards,” [Stefani] said. “Sadly, to make them mandatory here, there needs to be a tipping point where enough people are fed up with the deaths.”

The U.S. continues to lag far behind European countries like the U.K., which have adopted stricter safety regulations and implemented the side guards that Jay mentions. Will Chicago’s City Council soon do the same? It seems obvious that they should.

Read the Reader’s complete coverage here.